The Glass Castle

By: Jeannette Walls

This book shows the rough childhood of a girl through her eyes. The girl makes the best of every situation as her poor family bounces around home to home looking for a way to make money, She calls the places they go and the things they do "adventures."

Main Characters

The main characters in the story are:

Jeannette Walls-She is the narrator and main character of the story. She tells the events of her life living with neglectful and yet loving parents.

Rex Walls-He is Jeannette’s alcoholic father who abuses and uses his wife and his children for his own needs and yet never stops loving them and hoping they love him.

Rose Mary Walls-She is the selfish mother of the family who brings her own baggage with her and passes it on to her children. She also loves her family but only after her own needs are met.

Lori Walls-She is the oldest child of the family, but isn’t the one who dominates. She is smart and loving, but without Jeannette, hasn’t the courage to escape the life she hates.

Brian Walls-He is the boy of the Walls siblings and learns very young how to protect his sisters. He grows up to be a protector as well when he becomes a police officer.

Maureen Walls-She is the most fragile of the children and spends all her life looking for someone to take care of her.

Setting

The places the Walls family have been are:

Nevada, San Francisco, California, Phoenix, Arizona, West Virginia, and New York City.

Plot

This story tells about Jeannette Wall's life growing up poor and bouncing around from house to house with her three other siblings and two parents that do not like to follow society's rules.